Survey of unincorporated sector may shift to calendar year cycle from 2025

Govt to change tracking cycle for unincorporated sector enterprises

The government is looking to follow a calendar year cycle - January to December - for its survey of the unincorporated sector starting 2025, sources told Moneycontrol.

“We are weighing a shift to the January-December year format for the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises starting from 2025,” a person aware of the developments said.

This will still not align the ASUSE data with GDP numbers, which are available from April to March or what is defined as the financial year.

The ASUSE tracks the performance of establishments not covered under the Companies Act from the October to September.

On December 24, the government released the results of the 2023-24 survey, which showed that 8 million more establishments and over 10 million more workers were added during this period.

Workers' remuneration increased by 5.6 percent, while the sector's gross value added increased by 16.5 percent, outpacing the previous year’s growth of 15 percent.

“This data shows the lagged effect of a growth spurt. Various policy initiatives were supportive of entrepreneurship. Government initiatives on start-ups and stand-up India during Covid have allowed enterprises to grow,” said Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran at the launch of the report.

The data also indicated increased reliance on digital modes, with 27 percent of survey participants noting internet use. It also pointed to a rise in women-led establishments from the previous year.

The new survey is also likely to have district-level data and track the performance of industries across states and districts, which is expected to help with decision making.

Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation Secretary Saurabh Garg pointed out earlier that the ministry is working to ensure that all its surveys from 2025 have district-level statistics as well.